The Butterfly Effect
by Sadistic-but-sweet
Summary: The smallest things can have a huge effect. Small, blond things with scrawny legs and blood slipping in rivets down his neck and back. Axel remembers him vividly. It was that kid, two years ago, who started everything.  AU Akuroku, other pairings later
1. The Butterfly Effect

_DISCLAIMER: _I do **not** own Kingdom Hearts, that quote from Going Bovine, or the song lyrics below from Garbage's "Cherry Lips" (Great song, by the way.)

_Thanks to C-man, my friend and inspiration starter. Thanks for listening to me ramble about plot holes and then promptly helping to fix them!_  
_This is dedicated to Kareen2006, who actually made Sci-fi interesting. I swear I'm almost caught up, hun!__  


* * *

  
A butterfly flaps its wings in South America__ and it snows in Chicago._  
- Dulcie, _Going Bovine_ by Libba Bray

The smallest things can have a huge effect. Small, blond things with scrawny legs and blood slipping in rivets down his neck and back. He was far too vivid to be forgotten. He had wide blue eyes, like a deer caught in the headlights. The little blond shook visibly, and mouthed one word of desperation. It was a visible action, the parting of lips, but no sound left the tiny body. The clothes he wore clung loosely to his frame, large enough to just barely rise with his deep, labored breaths. Never before had Axel ever seen someone look so terrified.

Yes, small things have huge effects.

The sirens were going off, blaring sounds in his ears and head. Voices were yelling from somewhere, everywhere. Axel heard a little voice in the back of his head, an icy low baritone, but the words blended together. There was nothing decipherable in all the mess. It was obvious to any outside onlooker that this had never happened. Today was truly a backup plan put to the test for the first time.

Vaguely Axel was aware of footsteps from all around, echoing off of metal floors and down hallways. No one could pin point from where the security was going to come from, but they were coming. Behind him was a stairway leading up and up and up. Axel was far too aware of this, because the boy standing in front of him was staring right past him at those stairs with that same wide-eyed gaze. Looking back on it, the expression was less one of panic and more of cautious calculation, as if he were quickly trying to think of a plan as he went, weighing his chances and risks.

Suddenly baby blues flicked back to acidic green. The word was mouthed again – it was obvious it was difficult for him to speak. Axel could see the blood staining his shirt, droplets rolling over his shoulders like gory sweat. His lips parted again, and he was finally able to speak loudly enough for Axel to just barely hear what slipped past his lips:

"Move."

One word never held such desperation and defiance at the same time, eyes blazing with determination. The power behind that single, four-letter word was strong enough to even pull Axel out of sleep and back to reality.

It was a shock, needless to say. Suddenly Axel was back in his shared four-room apartment, drenched in sweat and left with afterimages in front of his eyes. It was pitch black, the moon hidden away. The window was cracked slightly, the curtains blowing in the gentle breeze that slipped in. There was no blue-eyed boy or metal plated hallways, no echoing voice in the back of his mind.

It was just a dream. A memory within a dream, sure, but a dream none the less. He had to keep reminding himself of this fact.

Groaning quietly, Axel disentangled himself from his blankets and pushed himself off of the sofa. He stumbled his way through the dark as quickly as he could without bumping into anything. His roommate would not be happy if Axel woke him up this early in the morning, or this late at night. Honestly, time blended together sometimes for the red-haired male. He spared a quick glance at the clock on the bedside table as he slipped into the single bedroom – 4:50 AM – and let his gaze slip over to the lump on the bed. Reassured that his roommate was still asleep, Axel stumbled into the bathroom.

A few seconds, a stubbed toe, and a light switch later, Axel stood in front of the mirror, staring at his own reflection and leaning on the counter-top. It was something he did when he was thinking. Water was dripping from the tips of fiery red hair, hair that stood out far too much for his own liking. Dark purple teardrops stood out against tan skin beneath his eyes. Acidic green bore into identical color, distorted slightly by the impurities in the glass. Those eyes followed a little droplet of water that slid down his forehead, between his eyes, and past the corner of his lips before clinging to the bottom of his chin. Fingers gripped the edge of the counter tightly for a moment before Axel gave in, sighing and ducking his head under the freezing cold tap again, trying to wash away the last bits of his dream. He gritted his teeth, not wanting to yelp and wake his light-sleeper of a roommate.

"Axel?"

Too late. Axel dragged his head out of the icy water, shutting it off with the jerk of a knob. He looked over at the doorway, tossing soaked locks out of his face with a flick of his head. Quietly he chuckled at the groggy man leaning on the doorway, ignoring the way he was glaring him down. "What the hell are you doing up, Riku?" Axel asked, putting a hand on his hip, the other on the counter.

The silverette just lifted an eyebrow, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "I should be the one asking that. What happened?" he asked in a soft sleep-worn voice, sounding some bizarre combination of annoyed and concerned. Both males stared at each other, a silent realization passing over Riku's face as he examined his roommate.

Axel turned away. He set his elbows on the counter-top, rubbing his eyes with his palms so he didn't have to look at Riku. He didn't like the look Riku was giving him, as if he knew Axel's response before he ever even spoke a word, and maybe he did. Hell knows this had happened often enough. A part of him was uncomfortable having someone know him that well.

"Nightmares, now go back to bed. You'll be cranky if you don't get your beauty sleep, Aurora," Axel muttered with a wave of a bony hand, trying to sound unconcerned. It failed with the tiny shake in his voice.

Riku ignored the quip. "You get less sleep than me. Stop avoiding." Riku walked over, leaning on the counter top. Fingers tapped out a steady beat on the steel, and after a moment he slowly asked, "Thinking of that kid?"

"Yeah," Axel muttered after a long pause.

Riku's response was almost automatic. "You should let it go." Axel resisted the urge to groan. How many times had those words been repeated?

"At least are you ever even going to tell me who he is? If he escaped?" Axel asked, glancing over at his roommate.

Riku scoffed. How many times had that question been asked? This entire conversation was unhappily familiar to the two males. Every day seemed to hold far too much repetition, a monotonous schedule of waking up, arguing, going back to sleep, and Axel waking up in the middle of the night so they could fight some more. Both of them were sick of it. "So you can what? What difference would it make if you knew? Let it go," Riku snapped, throwing his arms up in aggravation.

"Why, huh?" Axel demanded.

"You think it will help?" Riku retorted loudly, having to bite the inside of his mouth to keep from yelling. It took him a moment to regain his composure, slowly breathing through his nose, and when he did he could only sigh. "You know, forget it. I'm going back to bed, but seriously, Axel, let it go. We'll both be better off." Riku turned and stumbled off to his bed, falling on top of the blankets and angrily pulling them around himself. In any other situation on more than three hours of sleep, Axel would have laughed at how childish his roommate could act sometimes.

As it was, he simply sighed and dried his hair before returning to his own bed. Axel could already tell it was going to be a very long day, and he was going to savor every little minute of sleep he could get, dreams or not.

* * *

Time ticked away almost painfully. Axel's leg jiggled beneath the desk he was forced to sit at eight hours a day, six days a week. A phone was pressed to his ear and his eyes were focused on the clock that hung on the wall across from his cubicle, a temptress slowly mocking him as her arms moved in a slow, steady circle.

Two more minutes. For just two more minutes he had to endure the woman currently yelling at him over the phone.

"Have you tried rebooting?" Axel asked in a monotonous voice to the panicked woman on the other end of the call, shifting a little in his chair. He hated this job. Seriously, anyone who willingly chose to be a part of the wonderful world of Tech Support was either a masochist or insane, possibly a combination of the two. Anyone who managed to stay in the wonderful world of Tech Support for more than a year had the patience of a saint, and then some, which raised some questions as to how Axel had managed to remain a part of the team for even three months.

Axel drummed his fingers on the desk, listening to the various comments the woman was shrieking into his ear via headphones. Forty seconds were slowly ticking down. Just forty more seconds. "Ma'am, I wasn't asking what keys your cat stepped on. I was asking if you had rebooted."

There was an angered reply in the form of a string of excuses on the other end of the phone, indicating that the woman did not restart.

Axel rubbed the bridge of his nose, drawing in a deep breath to keep from calling the woman an idiot. Could this day get any longer? Just when Axel was beginning to believe it could, a steaming Styrofoam cup was set down in front of him and the headphones were yanked from his ears, pulling some of his hair free of its neat ponytail. He felt an arm across the back of his shoulders, making Axel grunt a little as someone forced their weight on him. Glancing back to see who disrupted his work, Axel finally grinned for the first time all day.

The guy on his shoulders winked a stunningly blue eye at him before straightening up and clearing his throat. He looked completely out of place in the middle of an office building, wearing a sleeveless blue shirt and what looked suspiciously like sweatpants that were tucked into his boots. A few people glanced over their shoulders at him, mostly women who were wondering what this dark-haired god was doing with the red-haired freak who should've joined the AA - Assholes Anonymous.

Axel snatched up and sipped the latte that was set on his desk, kicking up his feet to watch his friend in amusement. It was comical the way he spoke in an over-the-top, serious tone, complete with a heroic straight-backed and chest puffed out pose. "You are being redirected to our advanced support team, ma'am. Yes, uh huh, we have taken a personal interest in your problems. This could take a few minutes. Please hold while we connect you to one of our elite technical support members."

The man pressed a button on the side of the headphones and threw them down right as the bell rang for lunch. Axel laughed at the guy who pulled away and bowed, earning some dark looks from Axel's co-workers as they strolled by on their way to lunch. His friend was earning looks from the female population for a whole different reason. A few giggled behind their hands as they walked past, barely hiding their blushes. Apparently if you were good looking enough you could get away with being a jerk to clients.

"Have you been practicing that, Zack?" Axel asked once his laughter died down, pushing himself out of his chair and grabbing his bag. He had a wild grin on his face, cheerful now that he had an hour of not having to deal with women whose cats had a fondness for sleeping on their keyboards.

Zack Fair laughed, punching Axel's shoulder in a friendly way. "Anything to save you from work, which means I can eat sooner. You're paying, remember?" he reminded Axel, grinning up at Axel with his blue eyes.

Axel groaned quietly, unbuttoning the top button of his dress shirt. That thing had been choking him all day. "Yeah, yeah, I remember," he muttered, having to set down his drink to log out. He began punching a few keys on the keyboard in front of him as he spoke. "I'm not rich, you know. Why don't you go mooch off of someone else?"

"No one else is nice enough to feed me," Zack replied cheekily, pulling Axel's rolling chair towards him and plopping down in it. Axel grunted in annoyance at having to stand while Zack happily spun from side to side. He waited impatiently for Axel to finish up clocking in and logging out of his laptop. Axel couldn't think of a time he had seen Zack sitting in one place, and had promptly decided within a day of meeting Zack that he was far too hyper for his own good.

"What? Does your hard-ass of a mentor starve you?" Axel snorted. He had only met Zack's mentor once, when he had first moved into Hollow Bastion. He initially struck Axel as the type of guy who could easily break a guy in half if he made him mad. Much to Axel's relief, he was also the kind of guy who lived by a strict moral code that kept him from punching Axel for every cheeky comment he made.

"Hey now! No dissing Angeal!" Zack retorted, crossing his arms, "And he's in a meeting, so he can't feed me."

"Why don't you get a real job? One that pays?" Axel suggested mockingly.

"SOLDIER pays!" Zack rolled his eyes, mumbling under his breath, "Just not a lot, not until I move up to First Class at least." SOLDIER was one of the top military forces in the nation. While Zack enjoyed his job, long training hours included, it also wasn't exactly the most monetarily rewarding job.

"Uh huh." Axel finally finished and picked up the still-steaming latte, kicking the side of Zack's chair as he strolled past. "You owe me for feeding your ass," Axel called as he strolled over to the elevator. Zack, in an eager fit of enthusiasm, bolted out of the chair so fast it slammed into Axel's desk, knocking over a few pen and pencil holders and scattering some papers that had been precariously setting on the edge of the desk. An old coffee mug spun a little before toppling over, slowly rolling until the handle stopped it from tumbling to the floor.

Axel and Zack exchanged a look. Zack cringed a little.

"Sorry?"

Axel just shook his head and pushed the button to call the elevator. "I'd be careful, kid. I'm running on three and a half hours of sleep and I'm not afraid to leave you on the side of the road to find your own food," Axel muttered as the elevator doors dinged and slid open. The two men stepped inside, Zack's hands in his pockets and his expression thoughtful.

"Not sleeping well?" Zack asked, rocking on his heels.

"Understatement," Axel snorted, waving a hand in dismissal. "I'll be alright though. Don't worry about it. Say, how's your girlfriend?" Axel knew just the right question to ask to get Zack distracted. Zack's face lit up as he began rambling about his lovely girlfriend, detailing his plans for her upcoming birthday. Zack's enthusiasm was Axel's saving grace. The last thing Axel wanted was to discuss his dreams from last night. They had been bothering them for months now, leading to several sleepless nights. Axel thought his past was behind him, but apparently not. Was it too much to ask for some normalcy? Axel snorted out loud at the stupidity of his own thought, sipping his latte.

Zack frowned at the sound, thinking it was in response to something he said. "What, you think chocolates are a stupid idea?" he asked after a moment of thinking, raising an eyebrow. "Come on, girls love chocolates, right?" The elevator doors opened, depositing them in the lobby of the building. Everything awash with greens and blues, from the tile beneath their feet to the walls to the chairs. Zack watched as Axel swiped his badge at the doors, a little ding signaling that they recognized the bar code.

Axel looked back at Zack, who was impatiently waiting for an answer. "Just get her flowers," Axel replied, pulling open the door. The moment he did he was blasted with warm summer air and smog, coughing slightly. "She's a flower shop owner, right? She'll love them." Axel shrugged and stepped out into the shadows of the buildings, beginning to stroll down the street and leaving Zack to ponder the centuries old debate of chocolates versus flowers.

Axel was half way down the block before Zack caught up, dodging traffic as he crossed an intersection before falling into stride. "That's brilliant!" Zack cheered, grinning insanely wide. Obviously flowers had won out in Zack's mind. Axel just chuckled, gulping the last of his hot drink.

"Of course I am. Got it memorized?"

* * *

Sometime later found Axel staring out the window of a tiny corner-side cafe at the soaring skyscrapers, chewing slowly on bits of meat and bread. Kids zoomed past the windows of the little café on their hover-boards, passing in and out of the shadows cast by the buildings. Adults bustled along to their individual jobs, some brusquely jogging with an air of sophistication and pride. Those people were speaking into microphones attached to headsets, or bustling along while texting to whatever corporate official they were supposed to be meeting.

The rest of society slowly strolled along, as if prolonging their inevitable fate of having to spend seven plus hours at a desk, in front of a register, or carrying out whatever menial task they were assigned. Every day he remained in Tech Support, Axel sympathized more and more with these sluggish people. They moved as slowly as they could, frowning at the large metal and glass buildings. Some mumbled curses under their breath as they pulled brushes through their hair and buttoned up uniforms as they walked. Several just ought right stopped on the street side to look up at this large TV hanging from the side of one of the skyscrapers. Zack was also enraptured by the television, gazing through the window he and Axel were seated by. The large TV currently was showing a young and and perky newscaster, her words clear even within the building.

"There are no new leads on the recent disappearances from downtown Hollow Bastion. So far five civilians have been reported missing in the last week, vanished from the streets. The head of Hollow Bastion security, Cid Highwind, assures that his men are doing all they can to catch this mysterious kidnapper..."

"There's still no leads? That's insane. There's cameras on every street corner, how can they not have any leads?" Zack muttered, sipping his fizzy soda.

Axel snorted, shrugging as he continued watching out of the corner of his eye. He had to admit that Zack was right - this was a little insane. Hollow Bastion was well known for being one of the crime-free cities in the land, with a talented police force and street-side cameras active 24/7. Even some of the buildings were installed with hidden cameras, and every building had electronic locks that only the owner and the police had the cards to access. People would argue the cameras were an invasion of privacy, and others would argue back that it was worth losing their privacy for protection. Everyone could agree on one thing, though, and that was that the system worked. No crime went unpunished. No criminal walked free. For decades Hollow Bastion was the epitome of security, and the kidnappings had shaken the city to the core. Questions and accusations flew. How was the kidnapper bypassing the cameras? How was he dodging the police? Why weren't they doing more to catch him or her?

This uncertainty was unsettling, and it was beginning to show in the daily patterns of the people. Less were going out at night, and more were investing into security bots and surveillance cameras for their homes. Some had even gone as far as to buy off members of the police force to form their own personal guard. A minority had even resorted to locking themselves in their homes, working purely online or quitting their jobs all together, living off of take-out left at their doorsteps because they didn't know if the pizza boy could be this mysterious ninja kidnapper.

Hollow Bastion was a victim mass paranoia at its finest.

Axel bit into his sandwich, mumbling around the mouthful of BLT. "Who knows? Maybe they were kidnapped within an unmonitored building, or they were stupid and wandered outside of city limits." Axel paused to swallow, popping the last bite into his mouth before continuing. "The police are being pretty obscure with the details."

"Yeah," Zack sighed, glancing over at his friend and looking him over. "You know, you better be careful. I've heard that three of the men kidnapped had red hair and green eyes."

"No joke?" Axel replied calmly, taking a drink of his soda nonchalantly. Below the table Axel's hand tightened on his thigh slightly to stop it from shaking. _Red hair and green eyes? Oh boy, why does this sound familiar?  
_

Zack was unaware of Axel's sudden tenseness. He was never one to read the air. "Yeah. Ever heard of the Turks? They're a branch of SOLDIER that does a lot of underground work. A few came with Angeal and me, and one went missing earlier in the week." Zack paused, tilting his head a little in thought. "Actually, with your hair pulled back, you look a lot like Reno."

"Huh," was Axel's intelligent response. His cool demeanor was hiding a sudden urge to call Riku, bolt home, grab his essentials, and run without looking back. Definitely not a coincidence. Discreetly he glanced around the cafe, knowing he would know what he was looking for when he saw it.

Even Axel wasn't safe from the paranoia. At least he had good reason to be.

He was aware of Zack's eyes on him, the younger male frowning at Axel's wariness. The raven-haired teen began to speak, to ask what was wrong, when Axel abruptly grinned. "Hate to cut this meeting short, but I need to be getting back to work," Axel commented as he held up his watch for good measure, signaling his lunch break was almost over. "Those people aren't going to realize they're morons on their own."

Zack chuckled, shaking his head. "If you hate tech support so much, why not quit? You could come join SOLDIER!" Zack teased, standing up as well and stretching. He was relieved to hear Axel cracking jokes. Severity didn't suit him.

"Nah. I don't do well with authority," Axel commented, throwing down a few dollars as a tip from his wallet before stuffing it back into his back pocket. Zack seemed fairly amused at the thought of Axel answering to anyone, laughing loudly and thoroughly disrupting the other cafe patrons.

Together they stepped out into the slightly smoggy streets once more, the sounds of the city much louder outside than they were in the diner. Cars were backed up, honking at each other loudly as if that would make the other cars move faster. A teenage boy with a mullet sat outside the diner, strumming his guitar for the masses. The television was still airing the news, which had moved on from kidnapping to the weather. Some chipper girl barely out of collage was happily informing the city that it was "sunny with a chance of rain in the early evening."

"See you around! Don't get kidnapped while I'm gone!" Zack called, waving over his shoulder as he started down the street back to his apartment.

"Take care, kid!" Axel yelled in response, waving after him. He dropped his hand with a slight sigh when Zack was out of sight. Five men vanished in the last week, three of which had red hair and green eyes. What did the other two look like? Did it matter? Of course it did. If they were silver-haired pretty boys, then Axel could justify his slight anxiety. Visions of the dream from last night popped back into his head, causing Axel to sigh. He really hoped he was jumping to conclusions. At least then he could just call himself an idiot for getting worked up over nothing and move on with his life.

Still, Axel decided Riku ought to at least know to watch his back. Axel pulled out his cell, flipping through until he found the contact he wanted. He impatiently tapped his foot as he waited for Riku to pick up only to have a string of curses leave his lips when Riku's voice mail answered. "Just my luck. The one time I really need him he doesn't answer his damn phone," Axel mumbled to himself as he snapped the phone shut angrily, glaring down at the piece of electronics as if it had insulted his mom. "Damn it."

"You know, people will think you're crazy if you talk to yourself."

Axel glanced over his shoulder at the teenage guitarist sitting outside the cafe, surprised. The blond just quirked a tiny smile, looking up from his instrument. "Haven't you heard? Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness," he teased.

Axel snorted a little. "Does talking to inanimate objects count as madness?" Axel asked, pocketing his cell phone and jerking a thumb at the people on the street. "If so, maybe we should inform the hundreds of people I've seen with cell phones glued to their ears."

The guitarist laughed. It was loud, melodic. "You're just like I remember you, Axel!" he commented, setting his guitar aside. Green met blue, and that kind smile turned to a tiny smirk. Reaching up the guitarist tossed some hair back from his neck, and Axel knew why when he saw the little tattoo beneath his ear.

_IX_

Instinctively Axel tugged at the cuff of his long-sleeved shirt, making sure it was pulled over his wrist. Not that it mattered now. The guitarist definitely recognized him, he knew his name. _Damn it, this would have been a lot easier if I were just paranoid, _Axel thought bitterly.

"Not that we ever talked much," the guitarist continued, completely unaware of Axel's mental berating. "It's taken us a long time to find you." Slowly the teen stood up, moving to stand right in front of Axel. People strolled right on by the two conversing males, too engrossed in their own lives to pay any attention to the world around them. If they did, they might have noticed the way Axel tensed up, taking a small step back. The blond grinned.

Axel licked his lips. "Is this the part where you tell me that I have two choices, both of which end with you guys getting your way?"

"Hey, don't go stealing my lines," the guitarist laughed again, sounding teasing at worse. If it were anyone else in the world, Axel would think this was all a joke. He seemed almost like the kind of guy Axel would offer a beer to. It was that mark under his ear that reminded Axel of what he was getting into.

"So, what's your choice?" the guitarist asked, looking genuinely curious.

Now it was Axel's turn to laugh, but it was bitter. "You really expect me to go willingly?" Axel dropped his voice, leaning in close. Even though he knew no one was listening, he didn't want to risk the cops being called on him for the slight threat evident in his voice. "Sorry to ruin your expectations, but you'll have to drag me back. Commit that to memory, got it?"

The guitarist held up his hands in his own defense, taking a step back. "Hey hey, don't shoot the messager. _I'm _not dragging you back, but it will be easier on both of us if I don't have to signal the guys who will."

Axel's eyes flashed a little. So there were others near here? "Man, you just can't take no for an answer?" Axel scoffed, fingering the cell in his pocket. In the back of his mind he was forging a plan. Riku wouldn't like it, but they needed to get out of town now.

After a long sigh, the guitarist picked up his guitar and slung it over his shoulder. "You seem to forget where you came from. Of course we can't take no for an answer." There was a brief moment where the blond looked - Sad? Hopeless? - but it was gone just as quickly. That smile was back, youthful and innocent, as he saluted with two fingers by way of goodbye. It was as if he hadn't just been threatening Axel a moment ago. Not another word was said as the guitarist turned and sauntered down the street, quickly vanishing with the crowd. Axel watched him leave, thinking quietly to himself.

_This is not good._

His cell went off loudly, blaring some cheerful pop-rock lyrics about some cross-dresser. ("Because you look just like a girl~ Your baby blues would flash~ and suddenly a spell was cast!") Axel rushed to pull his cell phone out of his pocket, look around as he flipped it open and pressed it to his ear. "Hey, Riku?" Axel began as he started down the street in the opposite direction the guitarist had left off in. "I'm coming to get you. We're in trouble - The Organization's found us."

* * *

A/n: If you've made it this far, then congratulations and welcome. You've finished the first chapter of a fanfiction I have been planing all summer. I need to get pictures of all the papers that have been soiled with ink and lead in my quest to fill in plot holes and finalize concepts. It's ridiculous! Also, I will be putting all of my author notes at the bottom in every chapter, because I'll probably comment on stuff that happens within the chapter more often than not, so it keeps the mystery by having my notes down here, like foot notes. Which reminds me, I have some of those:

About the story as a whole - This is my first time writing Sci-fi of any sort. I got inspired by scientific theories, mental illnesses, and cognitive biases. Hence the title, which refers to a theory that depending on how a butterfly flaps its wings it could completely alter the weather in the end, or that the tiniest alteration in details can have a huge effect on the final outcome. I thought it was a suiting title because this entire fanfiction is one huge demonstration of the Butterfly Effect. Hopefully you'll see why as the story continues on. On an additional note, every chapter is going to be named after some theory, illness, or bias. I'll be posting up tentative titles on my profile page, which will give you an idea as to what might go on in that chapter. ;)  
Also, just a warning, but the rating on this might get bumped up in the future, specifically for some instances of violence, potentially for awkward sexual moments. Haven't decided yet how comfortable I am posting more mature writing, though. XD

As for this chapter itself - I realize it's very obscure. It's meant to be that way. This is one of those "The story will get clear as it goes along" kind of fanfictions. (I swear it's not a "The Author is making this up as she goes" fanfiction. I have _most_ of the details worked out, happily.) I hope I left you with tons of questions about just about everything - that was my goal. Explanations will be coming soon, more or less.

I would adore reviews on this. Really, I want this to be as good as I can make it. I couldn't help but feel like I got sloppy at the end, but that might be my overly-critical nature in play. Was the characterization alright? I'm trying my damned hardest to get their personalities as close to canon as I can. This is particularly evident in Demyx. As much as I love him as a goofball, I pray I got the point across that while he's lazy and not a good fighter he can be dangerous. Anyone remember that mood whiplash in Kingdom Hearts II? Yeah.

Finally, I will swear I won't ever have an authors note this long ever again in this story. I merely wished to give you all an idea of what the heck you are getting into. :) Until next time, everyone!

- Celia


	2. Reactance

**Disclaimer: I, Sadistic-but-sweet, do not own Kingdom Hearts or any related materials. I simply use them for my own fangirlish devices. Also, I have next to no clue how heavy artillery works. Had to ask my Dad and make it up from there. Roll with me here, people. XD**

**Also, thanks C-man for assisting with this. I've made some slight edits thanks to his advice since I first put this up ... two days ago. Heh. Damn you continuity errors!  
**

* * *

_"You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having both at once." - Robert A. Heinlein_, _American Sci-Fi writer_

"Do you see him?"

"Yeah, I see him."

Two pairs of blue eyes gazed down across the street at the patch of red hair that was quickly making its way down the street. One of the men clicked his tongue, turning away from the view of the street. The other remained leaning on the edge of the roof, drumming his fingers impatiently. _It took him long enough to show up, _he thought irritably.

From behind him there was a metallic click.

The man at the edge of the building peered over his shoulder. He was silent for a long second, raising an eyebrow in half-assed curiosity. His hand shot up to catch the earmuffs thrown at him. Another long pause sounded."You sure you know how to handle that thing?" he asked his associate slowly as he draped the black muffs over his head, pushing them back so he could hear for the moment.

The blond shrugged, approaching the ledge again and kneeling down. For a moment he looked down at the piece of heavy artillery in his hands, running hand over the muzzle. He peered inside of the barrel before popping open the back chamber and checking that it was properly loaded before snapping it back together. Finally he clicked off the safety.

He turned to the man beside him, shrugging. "Can't be hard."

The brunette man grunted in disbelief and turned away again, eyes locking on the red-haired male once again. Reaching up, he tugged the earmuffs snugly over his ears, offering this one last bit of wisdom:

"Just don't miss."

_

* * *

Twenty-seven Minutes Earlier..._

At times Riku had to wonder how he had gone from top of his class at the finest university anywhere to shelving books at the local library. How the brilliant have fallen! He once had a wonderful job, great pay, a social life. Just twenty-four years of age and he was already one of the Government's top scientists. How, then, had he been reduced to ISBNs and alphabetizing?

Lazily shoving a K book between M and N, Riku thought back to the previous night. He thought of everything from Axel's flippant attitude, his questions, to the dreams the red-head had often while being unaware of Riku's own reoccuring nightmares. They didn't happen as often as they had a year and a half ago, but they were none the less haunting -test tubes and numbers, facts and figures, flesh and sometimes electronics beneath his fingers.

Riku rubbed his face. Right, that was why he was here at Hollow Bastion Memorial Library. Because he was foolish enough to get caught up in something he couldn't get out of, he'd lost everything. He knew the benefits were too good to be true.

"Hey, Riku! I'm taking my break! Think you can handle things while I run up street to the cafe?" Riku jerked a little, glancing through silver tresses at the perky young librarian. He hadn't even heard her approach.

"I've got it covered, Yuffie," Riku commented, picking up another book and frowning as he looked over the titles on the shelves. He wound up having to pull four books off the shelves and quickly rearrange them, wondering why in the world he was filing Westerns in the Sci-fi section and when he had gone stupid and forgotten the alphabet. _Damn, talk about losing it. _Riku thought to himself, deciding he would promptly kill Axel if he cost him another night of sleep. Focusing had been an issue for him lately. How many nights had he woken up to Axel's panicked yelps from the other room, or listening to the other drench his head in the sink trying to wash away the images of his nightmares?

Yuffie lingered for a second, rocking on her heels. "Sure you don't want anything?" Yuffie offered, tucking black hair behind her ear and grinning. She offered the same thing every day, and every day -

"No. I'll be fine until my shift is over," Riku mumbled, shoving the Western novel back onto the book cart he pulled along with him. Briefly he had to wonder why the heck they even still had book carts with wheels. You would think that with the advances technology over the years to the point that even hover-boards were possible that someone, somewhere, would suggest they replace rolling bookcarts with hovering ones. It would certainly be less of a pain to pull.

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Come on, you'll starve to death!" she tried to reason, but knew it was a lost cause as Riku shrugged. "Fine, suit yourself, just means more for me."

Riku raised an eyebrow a little. "Weren't you complaining about how broke you were a day or two ago?"

There was a tiny twinkle in Yuffie's eyes as she tucked her hands behind her head, whistling a little tune. "I 'lucked upon' a fortunate bit of money yesterday, so I'm good," she replied mysteriously. Riku shook his head, knowing that what she had really "lucked upon" was a rich man with a fat wallet within easy reach on the streets. Riku had to admit he was impressed at how skillfully she managed to pickpocket without being caught by the cameras, or maybe the police just didn't care that much about petty crimes.

She laughed a bit at Riku's face. "He wasn't using it!" she retorted to his unspoken censure, at which Riku threw up his hands.

"I said nothing," he replied, waving her off. Yuffie laughed again at his flippant attitude and waved goodbye before bolting out the door with a small skip in her step, leaving Riku alone with the books. The door creaked as she shut it behind her.

Riku let out a long, exasperated sigh. Thankful for the silence, he dragged the book cart behind him as he slowly strolled along. It wasn't that he disliked Yuffie or company in general, per se, but he enjoyed being alone sometimes. It gave him time to think, be it dismal thoughts of the past or the slightly hopeful thoughts for the future. At the moment he found himself running last night over in his head as he halted in the Westerns section. He hadn't been able to get asleep after Axel woke him up, pictures flashing in front of his eyes. Twenty months ago, wasn't it? He didn't really know. Even knowing it was unhealthy he subconsciously blocked it from his mind, and everything related to it. The date, the faces, the voices -

_"R-riku, he knows! I-I helped him and I -"_

Sometimes Riku got really sick of the memories he kept locked up. The whole reason he had left that damned Organization was to get away from those things. Apparently normalcy was in short enough supply in the universe that it had none left for Riku.

_" Oh gods, get him out! R-riku, get him out! HE'S IN MY HEAD! PLEASE, MAKE HIM STOP!"_

His head hit a shelve of books roughly, nails digging into palms. Even if it was unhealthy to ignore a problem, at least he had good reason to.

Slamming his head against the shelf once more for good measure, Riku pulled away and straightened himself up, roughly flipping through the books to see if there were any he needed to replace on these shelves. He ignored the pain searing up his arm from his palm, the little pin pricks of pain where his nails had left deep imprints on his skin, the voice ringing in the back of his head. The past was in the past, right? No use dwelling on ghosts and skelletons. They could rot in his closet for all he cared.

He shoved the earlier misplaced Western into its proper spot.

A tiny creek sounded from behind him.

Riku turned, peering over his shoulder. For a long moment he just listened. "Yuffie? You back already?" he called. There was no response; just some noise filtered in from the streets. Sighing, he abandoned the cart, strolling through the lines of shelves until he could see the door to the library. It was cracked open just barely, letting in a small breeze from outside. Riku frowned slightly, looking around and seeing no sign of the black-haired girl he worked with, nor any of the other library assistants that worked irregular times.

_Didn't Yuffie shut that door?_ Riku thought to himself, strolling over. He strode over and pushed the door closed with a resounding click from the latch and a creak from old hinges. It echoed in the library a second before the silence returned. Slowly Riku turned all the way around, seeing no mysterious shadows on the walls or floors. Rubbing his face, he strolled back to his book cart, peering down rows and around corners. He was about to declare himself officially paranoid until -

"Hello, Riku."

Riku halted when he turned a corner and saw his cart, and the male casually leaning on it, a book in hand. His face was hidden by slate-colored hair until he shifted and looked up, a calm neutral expression on his face. He was small, only coming up to Riku's shoulder, and thin. His clothes hung loosely on his frame, the black cloak almost touching the floor. A small shiver went down Riku's back; it didn't go unnoticed. "Judging by your reaction, you remember me," the other male commented on the tiny detail as he snapped the book he had been lazily reading shut, tilting his head a little to peer at Riku.

Riku drew himself up. "Number Six, Zexion," he spoke calmly, prattling off statistics and facts in an attempt to not appear afraid and prove how much he remembered. "Excellent tracker due to a severe case of hyperosmia. Sense of smell on par with that of wolves. Selective genetics left you with ageusia. You also have a high pain tolerance. There's a tattoo of the roman numeral VI on your right hip, for identification."

As if instinctive, Zexion reached down and ghosted gloved fingertips along the aforementioned spot hiding under his cloak. He let out a little noise in the back of his throat. "You memorized our files. I'm impressed," he commented, turning and replacing the book on the shelf. He was meticulous enough to run his fingers over the books, carefully making sure he was replacing the book properly.

"How did you find us?" Riku asked curtly, leaning against one of the shelves. His ears were perked for any sign of footsteps, hypersensitive to his surroundings. If one of the Organization was here, then a second one could just as easily be hiding.

"Irrelevant. You expect me to tell you?" he scoffed, turning to face Riku and crossing his arms.

Riku and Zexion shared a long stare down, before Riku quirked an eyebrow. One could hear the gear clacking in his head, clicking pieces into their proper places. "The faulty security cameras everyone has been up in arms about. Those were the Organization's doing, wasn't it?"

Zexion's hand came up to cup his chin, a thoughtful expression crossing over his face. "Still sharp I see. Far too sharp for your own good," Zexion mumbled, dropping his hand. "You've caused us a lot of trouble. Tracking you has been difficult, considering how you locked our access systems before you left. That was quite a feat, I must say. Larxene completely destroyed our databases in her attempts to reverse the damage."

"It wasn't that hard. You shouldn't've left your mainframes wide open like that," Riku commented, risking a glance over his shoulder. Plans were formulating in his head. The Organization had hacked Hollow Bastian's security system. No matter where Axel and Riku ran too they would find them. Damn it. This meant they would have to leave, again, and start running. An escape plan was starting to form; there were two ways in, and both were roughly the same distance. Riku could risk turning his back and break for the front door, or bolt past Zexion to the back door and risk the alley way.

Riku bit his lip.

"You seem nervous. Is something wrong?" Zexion asked, not even bothering to hide the mockery in his voice. "Surely you aren't concerned about me, are you?"

Riku opened his mouth to snap a retort when a sound caught his attention. From across the room a rough buzzing sound filtered through the air; Riku's cell was vibrating against the counter where the books were checked out, having been left there while he worked. A tiny frown appeared on Riku's face, but he didn't move.

There was only one person who had his cell number.

_BBBBBBbbbbbzzzt. BBBBBBBbbbbzzzt._

"Well? Are you going to pick it up?" Zexion asked, raising an eyebrow. Riku turned his attention back to the slate-haired man. "It must be urgent for someone to call you during work. Maybe someone's...in trouble?" It was phrased almost like a threat.

Riku growled.

_BBBBBBBBBBBBBBbbbbzzzt._

"What did you do to him?" Riku demanded. If they had caught Axel -

"Nothing...yet," Zexion snapped harshly back, taking a step toward Riku. The buzzing stopped and, shrugging, Zexion relaxed slightly. In an undertone, he added, "If you can't convince him to come with us, we may have to try more 'drastic' actions."

"Drastic like what?"

The buzzing started up again.

Zexion arched an eyebrow. "Now, you're an intelligent individual, Riku. I am confident in your ability to imagine our repertoire of methods for dragging you back."

The buzzing was abruptly stopped; there was an odd click, the sound of his cell being flipped open. Riku risked a glance over his shoulder, scowling at the tall auburn-haired man holding a cell - _his _cell - in a large hand. Mentally Riku was cursing at himself for not noticing him earlier. The newcomer held out the cell, a familiar voice filtering out from the speaker.

"Hey, Riku?" Axel's voice was a dull mumble, rushed. He was obviously speaking quietly to avoid being over heard. "I'm coming to get you. We're in trouble. the Organization's -"

Riku didn't listen to the rest of his words. His blood chilled; Axel was coming here? Damn it. Turning fully, Riku looked over the tall man clutching his cell phone. "Stay away!" Riku spoke loudly so the device would pick up on his voice. "Don't come here!"

"Wha- Riku? What -" Axel began, his voice faltering over the cell. Obviously that was not the reaction he expected.

"Lexaeus, hang up," Zexion spoke from behind Riku, raising his voice for the second part, "and restrain him. We've waited long enough."

Zexions words were bait, and Riku knew Axel would take the hook.

"Damn it," Riku swore. Everything happened so fast. Before Riku knew what had happened Lexaeus snapped the cell shut, cutting off Axel's shout of protest, and had tossed it away carelessly. Riku knew he was trapped on both sides, but he also knew who was the fighter. Lexaeus grabbed for Riku, but the smaller male saw it coming. He stepped out of the grasp before turning, shoving Zexion roughly into one of the bookcases as he bolted past. As he fled he heard books clattering to the floor, Zexion snapping a soft order Riku didn't even try to hear. Somewhere amongst the shelves he heard his cell ringing.

He raced for the back door, not daring to try to retrieve it. Getting out of there and into the open was first priority; finding Axel was second.

* * *

"Damn it!"

Axel was almost mad enough to crush his cell in sheer anger. As it was he simply shoved it back in his pocket, picking up his pace. If they got to Riku, Axel wouldn't forgive himself. It wasn't supposed to be like this. How the hell had the Organization found them? Axel had watched Riku dismantle and codify the Organization's mainframes, leaving them without access to any of their information. Had they been able to rectify Riku's mess? How long had they been watching them? Had the last four months of freedom been false security?

"Damn it," Axel repeated under his breath, unable to do anything but swear. He was nearly running now, weaving in and out of pedestrians and late returners from lunch. Rounding a corner, he felt a sudden onslaught of dread upon seeing the Hollow Bastian Memorial Library.

No one had stopped him. There were no black coats, no mysterious tattoos. Axel hesitated for just a moment, slowing to a light jog as his eyes scanned the block. There were a handful of people roaming the street, but no one sent a look Axel's way. The street was more urban than where Axel worked, being on the outskirts of town near the river. His eyes peered over the windows as he started toward the library, looking for any faces in the windows. A year on the run made one naturally suspicious of everything.

He was thankful for his cautious observance, otherwise he might have never seen the two men far above him, peering at him from across the street.

It probably wouldn't have changed anything if he hadn't noticed them, looking back on it. The moment he had walked into view he was a target. Sure, Axel could have turned and ran, tried the back alleys instead to get to the rear entrance of the library.

Axel eyed the glint of metal pointed at him, hitched over one of the figure's shoulders, and decided he had a better chance of defending himself against firearms than more of the Organization.

That's why he wasn't worried when, within a split second, he felt more than heard the explosion.

It was a split second reflex, his hand thrown up as he felt heated steel collide with heated skin, ripping through into the sinew as the outer shell cracked apart. The force from the explosion ripped through him, chucking Axel roughly into the brick wall just a few feet behind him. His skull slammed into the wall first, followed by the rest of his body. He was pinned to the wall for just a split second before he slipped to the pavement, dazed. Finding himself unable to focus on anything, his eyes slipping in and out of focus, Axel just shut them. Every last muscle in his body felt like it was on fire, a harsh buzz echoing in his ears. He bit his lip, digging his nails into his palm until he felt sharp point jab the tips in one. Slowly he tilted his head to the side, reluctantly peering down at the shards of metal embedded in his palm. Blood boiled to the surface, rolling over his skin before falling onto the pavement, sizzling and leaving red stains as it evaporated.

"Well, isn't that just fantastic," he groaned, unwilling to move to remove the remains of the missile from his palm. His hand was stained red, the blood hitting the ground with a hiss. More droplets evanescing into the air. Somewhere in the distance Axel was vaguely aware of footsteps, someone's labored breathing, then -

"Damn, Axel!"

Axel cringed, recognizing Riku's exasperated voice anywhere. "Don't yell," he muttered, groaning. "God damn, that thing was the size of a fucking golf ball. How the hell does it hurt that much?" Slowly Axel forced himself to look up at Riku, wincing as the sun hit his eyes. Something warm slipped down one side of his face, down his neck.

For a split second Riku hesitated and flinched at Axel's injuries; however, he just as quickly threw on his "I'm the one with a PhD" face. Kneeling down, he softly ordered, "Quit talking."

"Tell me I don't have a concussion," Axel grumbled in defiance, completely ignoring the order and attempting to raise a hand to wipe the blood out of his eyes only to gasp and drop it again, gritting his teeth. "God damn, did someone get the license plate on that double-plated tank?"

"Axel! For five minutes, shut up and let me see," Riku snapped testily. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder, feeling only minutely safer out in the sun than he did inside. It would only be time before the Organization was swarming them like lions on roadkill. Ignoring his own gruesome metaphor, he turned back and reached down, grasping Axel's hand.

A brief second passed before he yelped and pulled back, stumbling back and grasping his hand. Slowly he turned his hand over, peering at the inside. From where he lain Axel could see parts of his palm were white and blistered, the rest a bright red where it had touched Axel's skin.

"Damn," Riku hissed. That really hurt. He could feel his palm throbbing, cringing as he lightly flexed his hand and caused one of the blisters to pop.

Axel forced a tiny grin. "Careful. I'm hot."

"Yeah, I noticed," he grumbled, shaking off the pain before dropping his voice to a low whisper. "Look, we're not safe here, Axel. They have eyes on us. We need to get out of here, now, and get you under control."

Axel shut his eyes again. They finally thought they were safe, and now look what happened? He was really getting sick of this cat and mouse game. Slowly he opened his eyes, drawing in a deep breath and glancing pathetically at Riku.

"Does this mean I have to move?"

Through gritted teeth, Riku hissed, "_Yes_."

* * *

Far above, on the rooftop across the street from the library, two pairs of eyes watched as the red head - Axel - pulled himself from his crumpled state as Riku, avoiding contact with his skin, hooked an arm under Axel's and half dragged him out of the sun.

The blond swore. The older man next to him sighed, pulling the small launcher out of his partner's hands. He turned away from the rubble and smoke, shoving the weapon back into its case. The blond rubbed his face with his hand, sighing and pulling off his earmuffs.

The two men met eyes.

"At least you didn't miss," was all the gunslinger said before pushing down his earmuffs to hang around his neck, picking up the case, and stalking off. That hadn't been in the plan.

Just means they'd have to work a little harder.

* * *

A/N: Ranting of an authoress is as follows:  
Holy - Man, was this hard to write! Once it got to the end and Riku and Axel were in the picture together all was right with the world, though. I really have no clue why I really, really enjoy giving Riku and Axel this reluctant friendship thing. I'd never ship them, but this bickering and dependence on each other is so wonderful it makes my heart swell with joy writing them.  
Also, if you have no clue who the two men were, you need to play more Final Fantasy. Or Kingdom Hearts. Or possibly both. I'm looking forward to the later chapters with these two, honestly - they aren't that important (yet) but I am working out some plot twists involving those two. Especially how I "Sci-fied" them.  
Also, some definitions - "hyperosmia" is an increased sense of smell. "Ageusia" is the inability to taste. I didn't read much about them, just enough to get the gist of what I needed to know. I'm not a doctor here, nor a bio major. I'm making most of this up as I go, people.

Also, fun fact: Riku misplacing a western in the sci-fi section was an allusion to the fact this entire story was originally spawned from a one-shot western I wrote for my English class. (Yeah, I wrote a Western fanfiction for English. Had to change the names, but I did it.) I am not making this up. I originally began planning this as a Western, and I have the page I began plotting it on too. In one tiny corner there's the words "What if this were a sci-fi instead?" Thus I rewrote all of the parts I already had made, changed a few details, and began the long process to writing this baby. In the end, this is next to nothing like I started with, except for three - Riku and Axel are still semi-friendly, Axel escaped from the Organization, and -  
Well, I'll keep the last detail secret. You all will get to see it soon. It was the whole reason I used KH as a basis for my Western in the first place! I had to carry it over to this!

Anyway, moving on. Zexion and Lexaeus have shown up. We're delving a bit deeper into Riku and Axel's past. And what the hell is up with Axel? The questions are going to keep coming, and don't hope for answers too soon. I will adore reviews and comments though. This fanfiction means a lot to me, so I want to know what others think of it. I'm still making up some details as I go, so who knows? One of ya'll might inspire me.

- Celia


End file.
